The Senate has summoned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and the heads of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over allegations of terrorist funding against the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The call for an urgent investigation into allegations of terror financing against USAID followed a motion raised by Senator Ali Ndume on the urgent need to probe the matter.
During the plenary, lawmakers expressed concerns over a viral video of a US Congressman, Scott Perry, who alleged that USAID has been involved in financing terrorist groups across the world, including Boko Haram.
Ndume noted that this claim comes shortly after the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, raised alarm that terrorist groups in the country were receiving sponsorship and training from international organisations.
The freeze in aid funding by Donald Trump’s new US administration has left humanitarian workers seeing a large proportion of their budget cut off and fearing millions will be affected as programmes are suspended.
On January 24, four days after Trump returned to power, NGOs linked to the USAID received a first letter asking them to cease all activities funded by the agency.
A week later, a second letter, seen by AFP, authorised them to resume certain missions intended for “life-saving humanitarian assistance”.
But the terms used are vague and the NGOs say they feel lost.
The new administration has launched stinging attacks on USAID — which Trump claimed was “run by radical lunatics” and his ally and advisor, the world’s richest person Elon Musk, has described as a “criminal organisation”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now its acting director, vowing to put an end to its “insubordination”.
Global and regional NGOs told AFP in interviews that the effect to their work has been immediate and warned the move could also erode US influence worldwide.
